Ria Boss

A flower child born in the wrong era, Ria Boss is a Ghanaian-Burkinabe singer songwriter, living in New York City and laying poetry on the strum of the acoustic guitar.

Biography

Finding out who a person is, is a task that is left to those who truly want to delve deep – exploring realms of a mind that one might not necessarily enjoy traveling through. So how can the words on the page truly encompass who I am, without you taking the time to float in my being? The music speaks for itself, yet pleasantries are pleasantries.

Birth

She prayed through the Virgin Mary and her daughter was born – November 24th 1989- premature, (although you’d never guess that now) – In a quaint little hospital in London. She named her Maria Emmanuelle Grace Bossman-Damiba, a thank you – Hail Mary full of grace. She sent news of her arrival, “A star is born”, on the invites to the christening – heavy words for a child days old.

Movement

From Europe to Central Africa, Gabon became their new home - Shout out to all bilingual folks out there – home by the water, the memories taste like salt. Where’s Dad? Here come the issues. Mother and daughter separated, so Mother could get on her grind – teach your kids the value of hard work. So daughter moved.

Home

West Africa. Ghana. Mother country how she loves you - To live with her Grandma for the majority of her formative years, mother to join afterwards. Piano lessons, choir, ballet, tap, you name it, she was in it. Till she was 18, her life revolved around Ghana, around family – self being molded by the situations she was placed in, and sometimes placed herself in. Yet, the music was always a constant. Always the remedy. The two most important women in her life surrounded her with the sounds that would soon be the makings of the musician.

Journey

New York. New York. 18 years old and a dream. College was the goal, but her dreams are much bigger than that. No culture shock for this child, her journey to find acceptance was over. Ghana is home, but New York is what her brain was made of. Niche found, voice finally ready to be heard. Weird and wonderful and full of falsettos.

Declare

Maria Boss, a Ghanaian-Burkinabe Momma’s Girl with hope, with music…with madness. With Etta, Nina, Sade, Masakela, Kuti, Scott, Arie, Hendrix, Lennon, Prince, Whitney, Ocean, Adele. Thanking hiplife, highlife, afrobeats and the djembe. They create the warped nature of the twisted sounds, they create the soul, the melody, the words. Her sound has been compared to the likes of John Legend, Tracy Chapman and Teedra Moses. Singer. Songwriter. Boss.